Closure at the mesoscale level

In most cases, closure of the terms in the kinetic equation will require prior knowledge of how the mesoscale variables are influenced by the underlying physics. Taking the fluid-drag term as an example, the simplest model has the form 

The process of formulating mesoscale models from the microscale equations is widely used in transport phenomena (Ferziger Kaper, 1972). For example, heat transfer between the disperse phase and the fluid depends on the Nusselt number, and mass transfer depends on the Sherwood number. Correlations for how the Nusselt and Sherwood numbers depend on the mesoscale variables and the moments of the NDF (e.g. mean particle temperature and mean particle concentration) are available in the literature. As microscale simulations become more and more sophisticated, modified correlations that are based on the microscale results will become more and more common (Beetstra et al, 2007 Holloway et al, 2010 Tenneti et al, 2010). Note that, because the kinetic equation requires mesoscale models that are valid locally in phase space (i.e. for a particular set of mesoscale variables) as opposed to averaged correlations found from macroscale variables, direct numerical simulation of the microscale model is perhaps the only way to obtain the data necessary in order for such models to be thoroughly validated. For example, a macroscale model will depend on the average drag, which is denoted by 

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